More than 80 homes ordered evacuated in Fillmore brush fire

An estimated 200 people in dozens of homes were under mandatory evacuation orders Monday evening as a wind-driven brush fire continued to burn near Fillmore, officials said.

About 84 homes were ordered evacuated in an area north of the 900 block of Central Avenue in Fillmore, Capt. Dave Wareham of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department told The Times.

The affected homes were on streets that included Foothill Road, Arundell Circle and Hunter Drive.

Wareham said that residents were being notified via a reverse 911 system and were being told they could seek shelter at the Fillmore Memorial Building at 2nd Street and Central Avenue.

The blaze, which was sparked by a downed power line, had charred about 50 acres of brush and burned at least one home plus possibly several additional structures, according to fire officials and television news reports. No injuries were reported.

Dozens of firefighters on the ground were being aided by helicopters making repeated water drops.

Fire officials said that winds in the area were around 30 mph. Fierce gusts blew embers and thick smoke across the mountainside just north of Fillmore.

The winds were so fierce that fire crews were initially concentrating on rescuing people and protecting homes, officials said.

"Our focus right now is life and property," Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Mike Lindbery said in a phone interview from the fire scene.

The blaze broke out about 4:30 p.m. and burned a mobile home in the 400 block of Goodenough Road. Fire crews were able to knock that blaze down, but then the fire quickly spread to adjacent brush and began burning up hill.

The heavy winds knocked down power lines across Southern California, leaving about 18,000 people without power in Los Angeles and cities stretching from Pomona to Lancaster, according to utility officials.

As of Monday evening, about 1,800 people were without power in cities served by Southern California Edison, the utility said. About 13,000 people were without power across Los Angeles.